AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 104
It’s been a slow month, how tiresome RL is…..
Episode 10-6
It’s been 25 days since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
As we descended the slope in the port town we were surveying, Barbera Mama suddenly stopped.
She placed a hand on her chin and tilted her head slightly. Her tail tilted in the same direction.
Barbera did the same, tilting her head, with her tail also curving.
“As expected of a mother and daughter, your angles are perfectly synchronized. So, what’s the matter?”
“…I seem to have gotten lost.”
“… can’t be helped.”
“Fufu, Barbera-chan, you’re so kind.”
Barbera Mama tightly hugged her beloved daughter. Their tails intertwined, which I guess is a sign of affection. Dragon behavior is still a mystery to me.
Even though the port town is near Barbera and her mother’s hometown and she’s familiar enough to pass the gate with just her face, it seems she’s not too familiar with human towns.
“In that case, I shall guide us.”
“Oh right, Anna-san, you’ve been to a port town before. Do you know where we are?”
“Yes. If things haven’t changed much since… about two hundred years ago.”
With that, Anna-san called out to the affectionate dragon mother and daughter and took the lead.
After glancing around briefly, she began descending the slope. Barbera Mama, holding Barbera’s hand, followed, with Chloe close behind.
“What’s wrong? Not coming, Naoya?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m coming.”
I answered Chloe, who had turned to look back, and started walking.
“…When was ‘back then,’ exactly? She almost said 200…”
My muttered question went unheard.
Or maybe it was deliberately ignored.
The fish market was located near the river’s mouth, where the river flowing from the northern part of the port town meets the sea.
It seems the market dealing with vegetables and meat is in a different location.
“Oh! This bustling atmosphere, it reminds me of the training grounds!”
“Eh…? Is that how soldiers train in this world?”
“If you’re curious, you should try it out sometime, Naoya! Yes, that’s a brilliant idea!”
“At least let me watch first. I might want to check it out.”
“Hohoho, really!? I heard that, Naoya, I heard it!”
“Ah, I might have spoken too soon.”
Chloe’s excitement seemed heightened by the lively atmosphere of the fish market. Her voice was also louder than usual.
The fish market was noisy, just like some of the fish markets in Japan—well, at least the ones that haven’t quieted down over the years…
The market was set up on wooden platforms jutting out into the river’s mouth.
Both sea and river fish were brought by boat and unloaded directly there, making the process efficient.
They could also easily wash down the floors with water if they got dirty.
“Step right up! Fresh sea fish just brought in!”
“We’ve got it, we’ve got it! Freshly caught sea serpent, brought down by a tough adventurer!”
“How about some mountain fish for dinner, young man? It’ll give you strength!”
“Hey there, beautiful Elf, if you buy from us, we’ll throw in a little extra!”
“Beautiful… Did you hear that, Naoya? They called me beautiful! Let’s go, we must get that extra!”
“Wait, wait, Chloe, you’re way too easy. How do you even manage to live?”
“Humans are as noisy as ever.”
“Um, Barbera Mama, could you maybe stop using the term ‘human’? I don’t mind, but there are a lot of ‘humans’ around here, and it’s getting confusing.”
“…Naoya.”
“If Barbera-chan says so, I suppose I have no choice. Very well, Naoya.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Hey, what are you doing, Naoya? Come on, this way!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming. Calm down, will you?”
The fish market was lined with rows of colorful tents, each sheltering a bustling stall. Wooden crates and platforms displayed a variety of fish, with lively voices of the women selling them filling the air. It seems that the men caught the fish at sea while their wives handled the sales, explaining why there were so many female vendors. Of course, there were some male vendors as well.
It looked like the fish caught were sold wholesale at the fishing port and then retailed here at the market. But for my purposes, I wasn’t looking to buy in bulk—I just wanted to see what kinds of fish were available.
I followed behind Chloe, who had been easily drawn in by the enthusiastic calls of the vendors. As we moved through the market, I glanced at the various goods on display. The fish in this other world were strikingly colorful.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Even in my original world, tropical regions had flashy fish. It’s just a matter of—whoa, that’s huge!”
“Hey there, kid, is it your first time at a fish market?”
At a nearby stall, a muscular shopkeeper wielded a sword with a blade over two meters long. He grinned at me before turning back to face the enormous fish hanging beside him.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. In my world, they did hanging cuts on monkfish too. This is just a bit bigger.”
As I tried to reassure myself, the massive fish started to look like a giant monkfish. Its flesh was flabby, just like one too. The problem was that this fish was big enough to swallow me, Chloe, and maybe even Barbera whole. Its mouth was wide, lined with rows of sharp teeth that looked like they could prevent anything from escaping once caught.
While I stood there, stunned, the shopkeeper swung his enormous sword with lightning speed, slicing the giant fish into fillets in no time.
“Impressive skills! Have you considered becoming a soldier? I would recommend you.”
“Heh, I’m more suited to working here. I’ve had enough of fighting.”
The shopkeeper didn’t miss a beat, his hands never stopping. The giant fish was reduced to neatly cut fillets in moments.
“How about it, kid? Want to buy some? It makes a great soup when boiled.”
“Ah, I’m interested, but I’m just visiting… Do you know of any place where I could eat it?”
“Oh, I’ve got just the place! I’ll tell you about a restaurant that welcomes bring-your-own ingredients!”
And just like that, I was convinced to buy some. I guess I can’t really criticize Chloe now. But I’m curious about the taste, and Barbera kept looking up at me from my feet, which also played a part in my decision. So please don’t glare at me, Barbera Mama. The pressure from a dragon is no joke.
“Fufu, I’ll hold onto this for you. You’re going to look around a bit more, right?”
“Thank you, Anna-san.”
“Usually, I’d only throw in a small bonus, but for a beautiful elf like you, I’ll add this too!”
“Oh! Thank you, kind shopkeeper!”
“Wait, the beautiful elf is a knight too!? Fine, take this as well!”
“Fwahahaha, I’m grateful! Look, Naoya, they gave us so many extras!”
In the brief moment I looked away, Chloe had been caught by the shopkeeper who had called her earlier. Now, other shopkeepers, mostly women, were gathering around, piling up seafood in baskets.
Brightly colored fish are fine. Some have little horns, razor-sharp fins, or pointy mouths—that’s expected in another world. Oh, there are also octopus, squid, shellfish, and something that looks like seaweed. So they eat those here too. Interesting. But more importantly…
“Hey, um, what’s this creepy-looking fish? It’s like something out of a horror movie. Are you sure this is edible?”
The fish had an eel-like body but no visible eyes, with sharp fangs lining its mouth. It looked like it had grown up in darkness or was something that might burrow through and grow in dark places.
“Hey, Chloe, are you sure they didn’t just dump their unsellable stock on you? What’s the deal here, old man?”
It’s been 25 days since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
And it seems I’ve encountered a bundle sale tactic in this other world. Though, to be fair, they might have genuinely given us extras, and who knows, it might taste good.
So please, calm down, Anna-san and Barbera Mama. It’s not certain that we’ve been scammed. If you two get serious, it’s going to be a disaster.